Congratulations to our Costa Rican surf team who took third place in the ISA World Surfing Games in Jaco, the finals of the 2016 Aloha Cup! For eight days, the eight teams gave it their all as they paddled for the gold through the heat and choppy waters. The Tico team, defending world champs from last years competition, received an incredible turnout and endless support from their fans who have traveled near and far to back the team. Locals and travelers from all over the world lined the beach in Jaco to celebrate the marvelous talent and skills that are displayed by our Tico team and other countries represented in the competition.

Noe Mar McGonagle – photo ISA

For those who missed the event or any coverage, the eight countries who participated in this competition were Costa Rica, U.S., Portugal, Argentina, Australia, Peru, New Zealand, and Ecuador. Our Tico team included Carlos Muñoz, Noe Mar McGonagle, Anthony Fillingim and two alternates Gilbert Brown and Lisabeth Vindas. The team surfed Costa Rica into first place for the semi-finals and placed third for the Bronze in the finals. The International Surf Association (ISA) released the finalist scores of the Aloha Cup as: United States: 73.49, Argentina: 66.64 , Costa Rica: 60.81 , New Zealand: 56.26. Finalists with the highest scores were Tia Blanco (USA), winning the Women’s Gold medal, and Leandro Usana (ARG), winning his second Men’s Gold medal.

Anthony Fillingim – photo ISA

The teams, surfers, and all who support these events have more than just these victories to celebrate in the end! The events in Jaco are making history and big waves in the surfing community worldwide. On August 3ed, 2016, surfing was officially voted to be added as an Olympic sport starting at the 2020 Tokyo games. This could mean big opportunities for the incredibly talented surfers here in Costa Rica.

The event ended with an outstanding performance by Cultura Profetica and Costa Rica’s skies showered fans along with the beautifully green surrounding forest. Congratulations again to the Tico Team for all of your hard work in representing Costa Rica!